Part One: The 'Best of Best Stuff' Awards (pg. 6)

Video Editing For Everyone

What about a new hobby the whole family can enjoy? Recently I went through a shelf full of old VHS home videos; including some that were shot well over 15 years ago. I have learned, much to my dismay, that unlike the old Kodachrome 8mm movies my parents used to take, videotape deteriorates quickly and has a life expectancy of only 10 to 15 years in most cases. I have read a little about the “fun” aspect of video editing, but when I watched some of my old videos, I really understood why video editing was needed… aside from preserving your treasured memories.

Some of what I originally shot included boring scenes of the ground and sky (when I forgot the camera was still rolling), and I often had two or three shots of the same scene. Until recently, it was almost impossible to edit video unless you had a lot of money and access to a professional studio. Over the past couple of years, home computers have become powerful enough to do the job. Not all computers mind you, just the newer and faster models.

Good video editing software programs have also developed to the point where they are now easy enough for a child to use. Sadly, my trusty two year-old computer had neither the necessary processing power nor a “fire wire” port to connect it to my digital video camera. I then discovered the new Gateway 700XL that was designed especially for editing video (and it can manhandle any other power-hungry application you might throw at it as well). Using this computer was easy and fast; it came fully loaded and included what many feel to be the best home video editing software (Pinnacle Studio 8) which, with easy step-by-step instructions, was a snap to use.

That's the good news. The bad news is that my 14 year-old son proceeded to unseat me from the editor’s chair, deciding he would make a better director and editor than his dad. Since I couldn’t afford to get another computer, I let my son proceed, and he did a beautiful job of taking the many hours of old tapes, much of it boring, and trimming it down into much shorter (and more entertaining) DVDs that we can now play on any regular DVD player in the house. Using the specially configured Gateway, he was able to add background music and narration and even change the order of our videos. We can now burn DVDs and do all sorts of professional-style editing that only a few years ago would have been impossible to do at home, and the DVDs should last many years longer than any tape.

I was amazed at how well the Gateway came equipped. It had great Boston Acoustics surround sound speakers, a flat panel LCD monitor and, best of all, we only had to plug one little plug in the back, since it uses a wireless mouse and keyboard. In less than five minutes, we had it unpacked, plugged in and up and running. Sometime little things mean a lot…just freeing the mouse and keyboards of their cords and eliminating the rat's nest of wires behind the old computer was a big plus.

Video editing has now become a hobby for both of my sons, and they have started using the family video camera to make their own DVDs and on-line Internet movies. For my money, that's a lot better way for them to spend their time than on the old Game Boy! Having the computer prepackaged in this fashion was certainly a great help, as everything was matched and in one box. Most importantly, it all worked as advertised! I cannot think of a better Christmas present than this 700XL video editing machine. Gateway’s prices are always very competitive with the other good computer manufacturers. You can reach Gateway at 800-221-9616 or www.gateway.com.

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